AKEL ON THE EU YOUTH GUARANTEE PACT
Statement by Costas Christodoulides, Head of the International and European Affairs Department of the C.C. of AKEL
Flexible forms of employability that are being presented by the leaders of the European Union as a response to unemployment and to the deep recession generated by the conservative policies of the EU represent nothing more than mere crumbs to young people. Youth unemployment is growing to new heights through the toughening of the dead-end conservative policies which are driving young people to despair and migration. The funds allocated through the so-called Pact for Youth are completely inadequate and amount to just 6 billion Euros for the 28 EU Member States.
At the same time when states social expenditures are being curbed, public and state-owned institutions are being sold off, whilst under the pressure of the so-called policy of competitiveness of large enterprises labour rights are being abolished, the EU ruling circles are trying to sweeten the pill with yet another proclamation that clashes with the reality that has been created and results in enormous human costs and armies of unemployed and low paid workers.
– The funds for research are being cut.
– Work is being split between two workers.
– In countries under a Memorandum youth unemployment is close to 60%.
In the meantime, the leaders of the European Union, as even the German magazine “Spiegel” itself admits, are issuing empty rhetoric without any substantive progress.
AKEL does not agree with the government’s approach, which prides itself that it is tackling the problem of youth unemployment. The policies being implemented merely reproduce social problems and do not solve them. The solution to youth unemployment is not temporary and part-time employment with meagre wages for youth traineeships and graduates with degrees and post-graduate qualifications. This is simply temporarily concealing the terrible existing situation. The solution to youth unemployment is regulated and stable employment, by creating prospects for social development and conditions for full employment, combating the monopolies that are promoting the interests of the privileged minority against the many.
In December 2012, the then presidential candidate Mr. Anastasiades pledged to allocate every year 1% of the state budget for the creation of new jobs. Is this perhaps yet another election “pledge” which is being implemented?
